Reflections Of A Hairstylist

Author: Tamsyn Reynolds

As a hairstylist and salon owner, I share my story on a daily basis. I have learnt over the years that when we are open, authentic and vulnerable we create a safe space for others to do the same. It is a pleasure for me to share my story with you, as I know the benefits I have received through the resonance in other stories, a shared sense of both pain and purpose.

I grew up in a small town in South Africa, an 80’s baby. I had the good fortune of having a childhood that involved a lot of outdoor play and freedom. In this environment I discovered some of my natural talents which I only realized later as I further developed them into skill sets as an adult. One of my favorite past times was throwing sticks up into our beautiful pecan trees to knock the nuts down.

I loved the taste of pecan nuts. I soon realized that others may feel the same and started to put some into little bags and began selling them at school.

Another favorite past time was making and decorating mud cakes and rearranging the ornaments and furniture in my bedroom to make it more aesthetically pleasing.

Fast forward to my business today, I have built and decorated a beautiful salon and created various products with the same philosophy in mind, if I enjoy/receive/benefit from this, others may too. Ironically, I didn’t play with dolls hair or anyone’s hair! That is a skill I developed later on.

The art of hairdressing has been in my family for years, from my great uncle Costa, to my grandmother ,and then my aunt who trained me. I’ll be honest, it wasn’t really the thought of doing hair that was alluring to me, it was the energy within a salon. The conversations, the glamour, the smell of the hair products and the way in which my family members had seemed to have found a profitable career in which they could still experience balance within their home lives that drew me to the trade.

It has served as an amazing skill and afforded me opportunities within many different scenarios, from working abroad to working from home, whilst raising my babies and then running my own salons. I am thankful for the skill and more so now that I see how the world is shifting in terms of the movement towards AI and the likes. I still feel that the personal touch within the service industry will remain valuable as the world changes.

In saying that, I also feel that it is a wise approach to diversify if you can, and add more skills to your repertoire to continue to be in a position where you have more than one egg in your basket as times change. Lock down taught me that. No matter how hard I had worked to build my business through consistent effort, I was forced to lock my salon doors for just short of 3 months. After going through the initial phases of shock and then anger and then hopelessness, a little seed started to develop in my mind, what else can I do to ensure that I would not be ‘stranded’ again.

And so I taught myself how to build a website and put some of the products I had developed online. Product development I realized is one of my passions. Identifying a need and creating a solution. I love the whole process, from concept creation to manufacturing and packaging including label design and creating a product that is both user friendly and beautifully presented. Once again I was putting pecan nuts into little packets and I loved it.

I have developed a few products within the hair industry, our sought after satin Pillowslip brand, Hello Pill-oh! being the most popular. I also have a home range of locally produced scented candles, diffusers and fragrances. Once again I am transported to the beautiful smell of the salons I coveted in my childhood.

It has always been important to me to create and I feed my inner child this way

What is it that brings you joy within your work? Do you source any of your inspiration from your childhood joys?

Despite the joys, building my businesses has not always been a smooth ride. I’ve experienced many setbacks in terms of staff leaving, products not always being as well recieved as I’d hoped and of course my losses during lockdown. In those moments I rely on my creative ability to trouble shoot and contemplate a way in which to salvage situations or diversify. This has meant letting go of many dreams of how things could have been and embracing them as they are.

I have a tattoo on my arm with two Koi fish, one light and one dark. For me, they symbolise ‘Grace and Grit’ and the realization that it takes both in equal measure to stay the course when things get tough, but also to know when its time to let go.

I’ve learnt letting go is one of the most important things we can do if ever we are to move forward in our lives. I let go of my 8 year marriage to the father of my three children, and it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I pondered it for years thinking, ‘you can’t just break up a family’. I pondered the question day and night, until I came across a quote that said, ‘ you can stare at the line for the rest of your life, or cross it and suffer the consequence.’ I chose to leave. My guiding quest was to find a relationship that would be a good example to my children. If I wanted more for them, I had to want more for me. Their dad and I coparent well and I believe we absolutely made the right decision. We are both happy on our current paths. No, it’s not always been easy, I can’t imagine any divorce would be, but we have tried our best.

I’m not sure if I will marry again, but my heart remains open to the notion. It would be a pity to close off such a loving heart in the wakes of my last experience.

Raising children in the world today is not a simple task, there seems to be an over arching sense of fear as to the changing world and what it will offer our children. I am not naive to the issues we face, however I try to foster as much faith in the world and reminders of its wonders as I can. I do this by making time to enjoy simple moments and being as emotionally present for them as I can. The mother/entrepreneur juggle is real however I recently recieved a scrapbook from my eldest daughter for my birthday and she wrote this about my work efforts towards the end. ‘You are my biggest role model. Surely you must know that by now. Not only as a person or a mother, but as a working woman too. We know how hard you work, and we know alot of it is in our name. I am so very proud of you mom.

For those of you that are mothers you’ll know that these words hold the value of a thousand businesses or brands. I don’t think she quite understands what encouragement that was for me. We often wonder whether we are splitting our time and energy correctly as working moms but again it brings me back to my earlier statement, if I want more for them I have to want more for me, and I love what I do!

I started my salon, Hello Hair in an 18m2 container which I converted quite reasonably (6 years ago) a year ago I moved to a 90m2 space. As I now have a model in place in which to achieve this growth I am in the process of developing a similar concept within impoverished areas with the aim to foster job creation and install skill sets to eventually build an entrepreneurial spirit to enable these women to run their own businesses and plant the seed of success within their minds which will extend to their families and beyond. I am currently speaking to investors to enable this project as over the years I have constantly re invested my profits to further develop my brand and put myself through various courses. It can take some time to really see the fruits of your labor when you have a constant growth orientated mindset, however, I believe that nothing you do to further yourself will ever be a waste and as with the Chinese bamboo, which takes 5 years after planting and nurturing to see any signs of growth, when it does sprout through, it grows to an impressive 90 feet within 4 weeks!

Were it not for its sturdy foundation, the root system would not be able to support this growth. Don’t give up!

As women we have an amazing ability to give of ourselves, although along this journey I have learnt to make space for myself within my own life. I go to dancing, walk and write, to let go, decompress and self express. If I need an afternoon nap..I take it! I want to be an example of someone who lives her life for herself and for those she loves and believe that were I to set an example of being a martyr, I would merely be encouraging them to not listen to their own bodies and create a space for themselves in their life where there is a sense of personal meaning beyond obligation.

Another tattoo I have says, ‘She who is brave is free’. Bravery is in my opinion the raw act of being authentically you in a world that is constantly trying to tell you how to act or who to be. Bravery Is keeping your heart open despite your set backs and remaining hopeful particularly when you feel you just can’t go on anymore.

In an ever-changing world my wish for women is that they find time for simple pleasures and make themselves a priority. Remember beautiful women, it’s ok to want as much for you as you do for everyone else! I’ll leave you with a favorite quote of mine. ‘Lighthouses don’t go around looking for boats to save, they just stand there shining.

For more information on my brands and current project please contact me at: hello@hellohair.co.za